Elizabeth, NJ — An Bergen County man was killed Wednesday morning after a tractor trailer overturned and caught fire on the New Jersey Turnpike in Elizabeth, causing extensive traffic delays in the area and on roads leading to the Turnpike, authorities said. The crash occurred about 1:40 a.m. in the northbound truck lanes between Exits 13 and 13a, according to New Jersey State Police. The truck ran off the road near Milepost 100, struck a guardrail and concrete barrier before overturning and crashing into the inner car lanes, according to Trooper Charles Marchan. The driver was identified as 22-year-old Christian G. Vergara of Englewood.
Truck driver killed in Highway 99 collision, traffic snarled for hours
STOCKTON, CA — A truck driver was killed in a collision on Highway 99 on Tuesday morning that left lanes closed for six hours as authorities cleared debris and moved vehicles off the road. The California Highway Patrol said at 5:06 a.m., a disabled 2012 Peterbilt silage truck was parked on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of the highway just south of Arch Road. The truck was partially blocking the right lane, and a 2013 Peterbilt semitruck was approaching from behind at about 55 miles an hour, the CHP said. The Peterbilt semi was being followed by 2017 International semitruck, which was traveling at an unknown rate of speed, the CHP said. The Peterbilt slowed down and moved to the left to accommodate the disabled silage truck, but the International did not reduce its speed. The International collided with the right rear of the Peterbilt’s trailer, then veered to the right and collided with the right rear of the silage truck, the CHP said. The driver of the International was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said. He was identified as 36-year-old Modesto resident Pedro Avila, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Virginia worker dies in accident at car dealership
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia say a man has died in a workplace accident at a Richmond car dealership. Henrico County police spokeswoman Lt. Lauren Hummel tells The Richmond Times-Dispatch that 24-year-old Jamison Paul Garrett died Monday in an accident at Bill Talley Automotive. Hummel declined to provide details on the circumstances surrounding Garrett’s death as a county police investigation is ongoing. She says the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating the death.
Office Dale Woods died Monday at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Colerain Township, Oh. – Funeral arrangements are pending for the Colerain Township police officer who was hit by a pickup truck. The police department says Officer Dale Woods died Monday night at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, three days after being critically injured on Colerain Avenue. He was directing traffic and moving a traffic cone at the scene of the late-night crash when a pickup truck hit him.
Utah police officer killed; suspect hospitalized
OREM, Utah (AP) — A three-year veteran of the Provo police force was shot and killed during a shootout while trying to apprehend a fugitive in neighboring Orem south of Salt Lake City, the police chief said Sunday. Officer Joseph Shinners managed to return fire after he was shot and struck the suspect at least once in a parking lot outside a business in Orem Saturday night. Shinners later died at Utah Valley Medical Center, Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson said.
Woman Killed in Accident While Loading Hay on Montana Ranch
Bozeman, MT — A woman lost her life in Montana while loading hay alone on a ranch. On Jan. 3, around 7:30 am the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a woman reportedly trapped between a hay bale and a truck on a ranch near Bozeman. The sheriff’s office confirmed that Kelsey Driscoll, 30, was the victim. Driscoll was working alone on the Copper Spring Ranch loading hay when she slipped and was pinned between the truck bed and hay bales.
Truck Driver Killed in Collision
Easton, WA — James Hayward, a truck driver for Aramark Uniform Services died in a motor vehicle collision involving four tractor-trailers and a pick-up truck. The incident occurred during a severe weather event 8 miles east of Snoqualmie Summit and 9 miles west of Easton near milepost 62, which closed down both directions of I-90 for many hours. Hayward was employed by Overall Laundry Service. [Source: Washington Department of Labor and Industries]
New York Firefighter Dies After Falling 50 Feet From Overpass
New York, NY — Fire department officials continued investigating the circumstances that led to the death of a rookie New York City firefighter on Sunday night after he fell from a bridge in Brooklyn while trying to rescue two people involved in a car accident. The firefighter, Steven H. Pollard, 30, died from injuries he suffered when he dropped more than 50 feet from the Belt Parkway’s Mill Basin Bridge onto heavy sand below, the authorities said. At about 10 p.m. on Sunday night, he was part of a crew of firefighters reporting to the scene of a two-car accident in the bridge’s westbound lanes, said Daniel A. Nigro, the New York City fire commissioner. Firefighters were dispatched to both sides of the parkway, according to a Fire Department spokesman. Mr. Pollard arrived on the eastbound span of the parkway, which is separated from the westbound span by a gap. When Mr. Pollard tried to cross over the gap to get to the crash — a car that had flipped over with two people inside — he fell inside the space between the two spans, dropping more than 50 feet, Mr. Nigro said.